SLO coffee shop closes abruptly after 13 years in business. Will its other location reopen?

Another coffeehouse in San Luis Obispo County has gone out of business.

Ascendo Coffee, a community-focused space devoted to quality coffee drinks and pastries, closed its doors at 311 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo, according to a note pasted to the shop’s front door.

“Ascendo is permanently closed,” the note read. “Thank you for your patronage.”

The note warned people that entry into the building was prohibited and no trespassing was allowed.

However, the business did not provide any other information on when it shut its doors or why.

Ascendo’s website was no longer active as of Friday, Oct. 25, and its social media had been deleted.

The business had not responded to email requests for comment as of Friday.

Community-focused coffeehouse closes

Ascendo Coffee began as Bello Mundo Cafe in 2011 and eventually adopted its current name.

The business had two locations in San Luis Obispo County: a cafe in San Luis Obispo and a coffee shop at 1230 Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos.

The SLO shop originally operated on Monterey Street before moving to Higuera Street in 2020.

According to The Tribune’s archives, Ascendo Coffee owner Jonathan Stauf rented the SLO location from landlord Brian Espy, who operates Doghouse Promotions, a promotional products company located next door.

The Higuera Street space, a former gas station and automotive garage, featured an outdoor patio and tables where no laptops were allowed to support more conversation among community members.

What will happen to Los Osos location?

Ascendo Coffee in Los Osos is temporarily closed and it was uncertain whether the coffeehouse will reopen.

When a Tribune reporter visited the Los Osos location around 10 a.m. Friday, the coffee shop was locked and the lights were off.

There was no signage anywhere indicating that the coffeehouse was closed or how long it would be out of operation.

Store hours were no longer posted on the front of the building.

However, there were still chairs, tables, plants and autumn decor inside.

Ascendo Coffee was listed as “temporarily closed” on Google as of Friday.